Electrolessly plated textile ring traveler



Jan. 4, 1966 J. A. DALPIAZ ELECTROLESSLY PLATED TEXTILE RING TRAVELER Filed Feb. 4, 1964 INVENTOR. LPIAZ Juuus ADA BY $6M ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,226,924 ELECTROLESSLY PLATED TEXTILE RING TRAVELER Julius A. Dalpiaz, Gastonia, N.C., assignor to A. B. Carter, Incorporated, Gastonia, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Feb. 4,. 1964, Ser. No. 342,564 11 Claims; (Cl. 57-125) This invention is a continuation-in-part of copending patent application Serial No. 262,150, filed March 1, 1963, and now abandoned, and it relates to textile ring travelers electrolessly plated with chromium and its alloys and to a process of producing the travelers. More specifically, the invention relates to a uniformly balanced traveler of the type described characterized by such superior durability, performance and design as to permit a dramatic increase in the quality of yarn and the overall production thereof by spinning and twister frames.

Textile ring travelers are commonly made of carburized and hardened steel having a highly polished surface. In operation the traveler rotates around the periphery of the ring at high speeds which often exceed a mile a minute. The bearing action of the traveler on the ring and the yarn passage through the traveler causes traveler wear from the force of sliding friction. As spindle speeds increase and as more abrassive yarns are utilized, the problems of traveler wear occasioned by such friction increases proportionally. The above condition is most pronounced in spinning. and in many twister applications where no lubrication or borderline lubrication is permitted.

Higher machine speeds are limited to a great extent by the durability and life of the traveler. Therefore, if the traveler is improved so that its. wear surface is subjected to less friction and at the same time more. wear resistant, the; traveler can withstand higher speeds. without sacrificing its life or the quality of yarn. As. a. general rule, spinning travelers normally fail in service from ring wear and twister travelers from yarn cut at a point remote from the ring; Reduction of wear and increase inv durability at the respective points of failure thus become matters of critical importance.

'Various attempts have been made to reduce the wear problem of travelers by treating their highly polished steel surfaces with a variety of conversion coatings, solid film lubricants, and electroplated materials. Of all such prior prccesses, an electroplated catalytic nickelcoating on the hardened and polished steel travelers was found to have the best combination of traveler life and economy of operation. This conventional nickel coating is plated on small and intricate spinning travelers by Well-known barrel plating methods.

Although the life of the nickel platedtravelen as comprior art travelers, there exists the problem of producing a perfectly balanced traveler of minimum optimum weight and with a uniformly distributed coating when various types of metal surfaces are applied by electrodeposition. The optimum nickel deposit, tor example, is approximately .0002 to .0003 on theinside surfaces of the traveler and about ,0004" on the outside. The inside of the traveler isthe only functional surface where Wear occurs. by sliding action of either the ring or the yarn, It would be. more desirable to have more plating on the inside surfaces of the traveler, but the nature. of the traveler configuration and of the barrel plating operation will not permit it. If additional nickel, or other plating lCC materials, is electrodeposited on the traveler in excess of the above limits, the weight of the traveler is too heavy for specified conditions. 7

The nature of semicircular or substantially C-shaped travelers allows the electroplated materials to be deposited more on the outside surfaces of the traveler than on the inside because the barrel plating operation is dependent upon current distribution and the surface area exposed to the anodes. As a result, the finished traveler is characterized by either the combination of an inside coating of the proper thickness together with an outside coating of ex cess thickness, or else the combination of an inside coating of insuificient thickness together with an outside coating having a thickness falling within a permissible range. In either combination the traveler is improperly balanced, and in the first-named combination the traveler is excessively heavy as well as unbalanced.

The above-discussed limitations experienced in electroplating travelers are overcome by the present invention wherein an electroless chromium or chromium-bearing alloy is applied at a. uniform depth. Moreover, the electrol ss chromium or chromium alloy plating. of the trav-' elers has exhibited outstanding performance properties in numerous large scale test runs in textile mills as a result of superior balancing and/ or Wear resisting properties.

The deposition of chromium or its alloys in an electroless bath takes place without the aid of current and is likewise independent of size or shape of the traveler. The electroless plating operation is most attractive from the standpoint of economy and the uniformity of the. deposit- Applicant is aware of no method prior to the present invention by which hard chromium or its alloys can be de posited by barrel electroplating upon travelers to a uniform thickness of .0003" to .0004". Even if barrel hard chromium or its alloys could be applied on travelers, the high cost and the lack of uniformity in thickness of the metal deposited would render it impractical.

It is therefore an object of this invention toprovide a textile traveler and process of making it wherein a wearing surface of uniform thickness consisting of art electroless deposition of chromium or its alloys is depos ited upon the traveler core.

It is another object of this invention to provide an im-' proved traveler chemically plated with chromium-bearing materials and which will operate at higher speeds than. heretofore attained with conventional travelers and without sacrificing traveler life.

It is another object of this invention to provide atraveler having a harder and smoother surface plated with chromium or its alloys and further characterized by a. lower coefiicicnt of friction so as to permitsubstantially higher machine speeds and increased traveler life, together with higher quality yarn.

Some of the objects of invention having been" stated, other objects will appear as the descriptionproceeds: when taken in connection with the accompanying draw ings, in which,

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged sectional view through a spinning ring, showing. a traveler according to the present invention mounted upon the upper flange thereof, and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional detail view through one end of the traveler, showing an electroless plating of uniform depth on the outer surfaces of the traveler core in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a'view similar to FIGURE 3 but show-* ing' a conventional uneven electroplated metal deposition upon the traveler core, and

3 FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but showing a twister traveler according to the invention mounted on a ring.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral denotes a conventional spinning ring having a vertical web 11 and upper and lower horizontal flanges 12 and 13 respectively (FIGURE 1). My improved textile traveler 14 is mounted upon the upper ring flange 12, said traveler comprising an intermediate arch portion 14:: and spaced inturned end portions or horns 14b with a gap 14c therebetween. During a spinning operation, a yarn strand 15 passes downwardly from drafting rolls (not shown), beneath intermediate arch portion 14a, and then onto a rotating yarn package 16 disposed concentrically of the ring, and in the meantime, the traveler moves around the ring at high speeds with tl e end portions or horns 14b slidably contacting the lower surfaces of the flange 12. Although considerable wear may occur as a result of friction between strand '15 and the inner surfaces of arch portion 14a, the wear is much greater between the horns 14b and flange 12; consequent- 1y, failure of the spining traveler usually occurs at the horns.

In twister travelers, however, failure usually occurs at an intermediate portion thereof as a result of yarn cut and friction. FIGURE 5 illustrates in cross-section a portion of a twister ring 20 having a twister traveler 21 mounted thereon, said traveler comprising an intermediate portion 22 and upper and lower inturned end portions 23 and 24 respectively, which portions extend loosely about the upper and lower portions of the ring 20 and terminate in opposed spaced relation to one another with a gap 25 therebetween. On account of the relatively greater friction and Wear between strand 26 and the inner intermediate surface of the twister traveler than is produced between the end portions 23 and 24 and the proximate ring surfaces, the twister traveler usually fails as a result of yarn cut.

In the present process an electroles chromium-bearing plating 30 of a thicknes from .0003" to .0004" is deposited uniformly upon all surfaces of core 14d (FIG- URE 3). Plating on traveler surfaces lying within the above-stated thicknes range has been found sufficiently heavy to possess the desired wearing properties while maintaining the traveler weight Within permissible limits. Since the thickness of electroless plating 30 is uniform, the inner and outer traveler surfaces as shown in FIG- URE 3 will be disposed the same distance t-l from the longitudinal axis 11 of core 14d and, therefore, the finished traveler will be symmetrical about said axis. Likewise, the plating will be of the same thickness on the edges of the core which, together with the previously mentioned uniform deposit on the other traveler surfaces, will provide a finished traveler perfectly balanced about axes xx, yy and zz (FIGURE 2).

The above-mentioned type of plated traveler cannot be obtained by barrel electroplating processes. For example, instead of obtaining a uniform thickness on all surfaces, it has been found that the elect-rodeposition of chromium-bearing and other plating materials is much faster on the outer non-functional convex surface of the traveler than on the inner functional concave surface (FIGURE 4); consequently, when the concave urface has been plated to optimum thickness 30 the outer surface will be plated to a much greater thickness 30a. The finished traveler thus coated will be too heavy for proper performance and also improperly balanced, the distance t-2 from the core axis 11 to the convex outer surface being greater than the distance t1 from the core axis to the inner concave surface. It is evident that the electrolytic metal deposit on the concave and convex surf-aces will vary lengthwise of the core 14d in accordance with the current distribution.

The term electroless as known in the art denotes a chemical process of and product resulting from the deposition of a metal or alloy upon an active metallic surface in absence of an externally applied electric field.

In the production of perfectly balanced travelers according to the invention, an electroless chromium and chromium alloy plating solutions such as disclosed in the Eisenburg et a1. Patent Nos. 2,827,400, 2,829,059, and 2,828,227 may be employed. To produce travelers having a perfect balance combined with optimum wearing properties, much improved solutions may be used such as disclosed below in which a nickel-phosphorous-chromium alloy is deposited. The electroless deposition of a nickel, phosphorus-chromium alloy upon textile travelers has not only provided a more efficient method of obtaining balanced and uniformly distributed plating, but also insofar as .applicant is aware, has made available to the industry a superior traveler which surpasses all other comparable types in durability and performance.

Specifically, in the production of a traveler having a nickel-phosphorous-chromium alloy plating, at least the wearing surfaces of a traveler core having an active metallic surface are inserted in a bath containing in aqueous solution: a chromium salt, a nickel salt, a hypophosphite salt, and a suitable buffering or pH controlling agent. It is believed that the hypophosphite ion continuously reduces the dissolved metal salts to the metallic state on the surface of the active metal or steel traveler core by means of a catalytic action involving the core surface.

The composition of a typical aqueous electroless plating solution for depositing the nickel-phosphorous-chro- 'rniurn alloy upon travelers is as follows:

Chromium acetate gm./l 36 Sodium citrate gm./l 24 Sodium glycolate do 24 Sodium hypophosphite do 12 Sodium acetate do 12 Nickel acetate do 10 Water liter 1 Temperature Fahrenheit 210 to 214 pH 4-6 1 Grams per liter.

The amount of electroless plating solution used is dependent upon the surface area of the traveler cores to be plated. Preparation of the core surface prior to plating is very important from the standpoint of adhesion of the electroless plate. Alkali and acid activators can be used to prepare the core surfaces prior to plating, but extreme caution must be taken to insure that all the alkali, acids, and cyanides are thoroughly removed by rinsing prior to introducing the traveler core into the plating solution. The traveler cores are submerged in the electroless solution and continuously tumbled to insure complete and uniform coverage of the surfaces, the temperature of the solution being maintained substantially within the limits of 210 to 214 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead of submerging the entire surfaces of the cores, the cores may be racked in a conventional manner and only the core surfaces underlying the traveler wearing surfaces can be submerged.

Periodic additions of all chemicals in the original solution are essential about every two hours of continuous plating, the amounts being in the order of 50% of the original amounts. Sodium hypophosphite, however, is added every 10 to 15 minutes of continuou plating in amounts of about 10% of the original quantity. The latter salt allows deposition to proceed at a much faster controlled rate. Precautions must be taken to avoid adding any more of the hypophosphite salt than prescribed since the metallic-s will precipitate from the solution and the plating process cease.

The above electroless alloy plating solution deposits a nickel-phosphorous-chromium alloy on the order of .001" per hour and at a rate which i at least 300% faster than that described in the aforesaid Patent No. 2,829,059, that is, .001" versus .0003" per hour. Moreover, the traveler electrolessly plated with the nickelphosphorous-chromium alloy has a coefficient of sliding friction with the ring of .2 1 or lower, a hardness value exceeding Rockwell C 60, and a roughness value of 2 root mean square or less.

The resulting alloy plate deposit 30, when employing the electroless plating solutions referred to above, con sists essentially of the following elements:

Percent Nickel 88.0 to 92.0 Phosphorous 8.0 to 12.0 Chromium 0.01 to 0.1

. 6 "Nickel-Phosphorous-Chromium Alloy Finish Traveler denotes a hardened and polished traveler with an electroless plated surface of from .0002" to .0003"; and Yarn Type denotes the size of yarn spun and the degree of twist per unit length.

In each of the tabulations it was found that applicants alloy plated travelers withstood the designated high speeds for several times the period withstood by conventional travelers before failure; that any failures of applicants travelers resulted from yarn out rather than from ring wear (the reverse being true of conventional travelers upon which the comparative tests were made); that the loading of the travelers with lint was less upon the alloy plated travelers than upon the conventional travelers (the latter characteristic being of importance since excessive loading leads to yarn breakage or ends down); and that discoloration by burning was substantially less among the alloy plated than among the unplated travelers. Traveler discoloration by burning indicates higher frictional condition present which leads to premature wear and failure.

In some tests there were less ends down when using the alloy plated traveler as compared with the Electrolytic Nickel Finish Traveler.

MILL A Regular Finish Traveler Nickol-Phosphorous-Ohrorniurn Alloy Finish Traveler Operating Speed Duration of test Test conducted on Type of spinning ring.

6,008 ft./rnin 32 hours 1,728 spindles 2%" diameter Draper curved web.

6,008 ftJmin.

96 hours.

1,728 spindles.

2% diameter Drapercurved web.

Test Conducted on Type Spinning Ring (Number of spindles not reported) 2% diameter Diamond finish. 4-1-CD Elip. Imp -e 2% diameter Diamond finish Type Traveler 4-1-oD' Elip. Imp.

Yarn Type Twist Multiple of 4.75 Twist Multiple of 4.75.

MILL 0 Operating Speed 5,345 itJmin 6,308 itJmin.

Duration of Test 48 h 120 hours.

Test Conducted on" 2,300 spindles 2.300 spindles.

Type Spinning Ring Type Traveler Yarn Type .c

2% diameter Diamond finish.

7-2-BL 1-HR Eliptio Twist Multiple of 4.75

2% diameter Diamond finis 7-2*BL 1-HR Eliptic. Twist Multiple or 4.75.

MILL D Operating Speed Duration of Test Test Conducted on Type Spinning Ring- Type Traveler Yarn Type (Speed Not Reported, except both 144 hours 1,512 spindles 2 diameter 16/01-5/8-R 50/1 Combed Cotton Yarn, Twist Multiple of 3.69.

that same speed employed for tests) 408 hours.

1,512 spindles.

2 diameter.

50/1 Combed Cotton Yarn, Twist Multiple of 3.69.

In the tabulations above, the term Operating Speed denotes the distance the traveler move-s during a period of one minute around the periphery of the spinning ring; Type Spinning Ring denotes the size, design, finish and manufacturers designation; Type Traveler denotes size, style, type, shape and manufacturers designation; Regular Finish Traveler denotes a hardened and polished unplated traveler; Electrolytic Nickel Finish Traveler denotes a hardened and polished traveler with an electroplated nickel coating of from .0003 to .0004; 75

Stated more specifically, mill test-s demonstrate that the alloy plated travelers as compared to nickel plated and unplated travelers offer the following advantages:

(a) 300% longer traveler life;

(b) Operating speeds increased by at least 30% with equally good or improved yarn quality; (c) Considerably less loading of the travelers and a noticeable reduction of traveler burn; (d) A substantial reduction of the number of ends down per spindle hour;

(e) Constant number of ends down regardless of duration of test;

(f) An increase in machine operating speed of 25% or more without any appreciable traveler wear.

.0003 through .0004 on the concave and convex surfaces of said core, all points on the respective surfaces of said coatings being equidistant from the longitudinal axis of the core, said coating consisting of an electroless chemical deposition of chromium and its alloys.

2. A traveler as defined in claim 1 wherein said deposition consists essentially of chromium ranging between 0.01% and 0.1%, phosphorus ranging between 8.0% and 12.0%, and nickel ranging between 88.0% and 92.0%.

3. A traveler for use on spinning or twisting rings comprising a substantially C-shaped concavo-convex active metallic core having a pair of end hook portions extending inwardly toward and terminating in spaced relation to one another, a coating of uniform thickness covering the entire concave surface of said core, and a second coating of said uniform thickness covering the entire convex surface of the core, all points on the respective concave and convex coating surfaces being equidistant from the longitudinal axis of the core, said coatings consisting essentially of an electroless chemical deposition of chromium and its alloys.

4. A traveler for use on spinning or twisting rings comprising a substantially C-shaped core having a pair of end hook portions, and a coating of uniform depth on the entire outer surface of said core, all points on the surface of said coating being equidistant from the longitudinal axis of the core, said coating consisting essentially of an electroless chemical alloy of chromium ranging between 0.01% and 0.1%, phosphorus ranging between 8.0% and 12.0%, and nickel ranging between 88.0% and 92.0%.

5. A traveler for use on spinning or twisting rings comprising a substantially concave-convex core, and a coating of uniform depth covering at least the concave and convex core surface areas at each of the wearing surfaces of the traveler, all points on the surfaces of said coatings being equidistant from the longitudinal axis of the core, said coatings consisting essentially of an electroless chemical deposition of chromium and its alloys.

6. A traveler as defined in claim 5 wherein said coatings consist of an alloy of chromium ranging between 0.01% and 0.1%, phosphorus ranging between 8.0% and 12.0%, and nickel ranging between 88.0% and 92.0%.

7. A traveler for use on spinning or twisting rings comprising a substantially concave-convex core, a coating of uniform thickness covering at least one area of the concave core surface and forming a traveler wearing surface, and a second coating of said uniform thickness covering a second area opposite said first area and on the convex core surface, the respective concave and convex surfaces of said coatings being equidistant from the longitudinal axis of the core, said coatings consisting essentially of an electroless chemical deposition of chromium and its alloys.

8. A traveler as defined in claim 7 wherein said coatings have a roughness value of not more than 2 root mean square.

9. A traveler as defined in claim 8 wherein said coatings have a hardness value exceeding Rockwell C 60.

10. A traveler as defined in claim 1 wherein said deposition has a roughness value of not more than 2 root mean square.

11. A traveler as defined in claim 10 wherein said deposition has a hardness value exceeding Rockwell C 60.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,595,858 8/1926 Crompton 571 19 1,745,835 2/1930 Merrill 571 19 2,572,140 10/1951 Haley 57-125 2,683,346 7/1954 Pieper 57125 2,798,357 7/1957 Stahli 571 19 2,829,059 4/1958 Eisenberg 1061 2,955,944 10/1960 Spaulding 1061 2,970,425 2/1961 Foard 571 19 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,069,839 2/1954 France.

193,587 3/1923 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

J. PETRAKES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TRAVELER FOR USE ON SPINNING OR TWISTING RINGS COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY C-SHAPED CONCAVO-CONVEX ACTIVE METALLIC CORE HAVING A PAIR OF END HOOK PORTIONS EXTENDING INWARDLY TOWARD AND TERMINATING IN SPACED RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER, AND A COATING OF UNIFORM DEPTH RANGING FROM .0003" THROUGH .0004" ON THE CONCAVE AND CONVEX SURFACES OF SAID CORE, ALL POINTS ON THE RESPECTIVE SURFACES OF SAID COATINGS BEING EQUIDISTANT FROM THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CORE, SAID COATING CONSISTING OF AN ELECTROLESS CHEMICAL DEPOSITION OF CHROMIUM AND ITS ALLOYS. 